Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Paul Ryan claiming 'soverign immunity' for chief of staff, who rear-ended two men

Ryan's chief of staff, Kevin Seifert, rear-ended a vehicle carrying Santos Perez and Adan Cajas on I-395 in D.C. in February, 2014. Both are claiming injuries, want $100,000 in damages, and say Seifert neither kept a safe distance nor drove at a safe speed. Ryan, who owned the car, was not involved.
     The Wisconsin congressman is being defended by the U.S. Department of Justice, which got the case moved from D.C. trial court to federal court and are seeking dismissal.according to the Huffington Post.
The DOJ lawyers acknowledge that Seifert was "acting within the scope of his employment" on that day. But they contend that both Ryan and Seifert are protected under the doctrine of sovereign immunity, which generally shields the government from lawsuits to which it has not consented. They also argue that Perez and Cajas have failed to first pursue all administrative remedies as required under the Federal Tort Claims Act.
Below: Ryan, campaigning for the vice-presidency, in Council Bluffs, IA, in 2012:

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